Duplication of public health services is a waste of money

With the announcement from Mahoning County Health Commissioner Matthew A. Stefanak III that his 23-year tenure will end with his retirement in May 2012, we renew a call we made five months ago to area politicians, health-care professionals and community leaders to explore the revamping of the public health system in Mahoning County.

In particular, we urged the Youngstown Board of Health not to rush to fill the vacancy created by the retirement on May 1 of health Commissioner Neil Altman, who had served in that capacity for 30 years.

This is an opportunity for the public and private sectors in Mahoning County to take an important step toward government consolidation that is being touted by Republican Gov. John Kasich. Throughout the state of Ohio, counties are looking to change the way local governments operate. The status quo — layer upon layer of public entities competing for the shrinking pool of taxpayer dollars — is no longer sustainable.

In Summit County, where the traditional commissioner form of government was replaced by a charter decades ago, cost-saving measures are constantly being explored. In January, the county health district and the city of Akron’s health department were consolidated.

Today, there is one district that serves all the political subdivisions in Summit, but residents have access to two campuses, one in Akron and the other in Stow.

Thus the question: If it makes sense in Summit County, why can’t public health services be brought under one umbrella in Mahoning County? No reason that we can see. All that’s needed is the commitment of the decision makers in city and county governments to pursue consolidation.

Indeed, the Mahoning County General Health District now serves 24 of the 25 political subdivisions. Only Youngstown has its own health department. In the last 10 years, the cities of Campbell and Struthers got rid of their health agencies to become part of the countywide system.

As the 2010 national census shows, Youngs–town’s population is shrinking fast, which means the cost of government must also shrink.

General fund

The Youngstown Department of Health receives $2.67 million from the general fund and an additional $888,803 in grants. It has 24 full-time employees and four part-timers.

The county health district had a budget of $6.3 million in 2010 and a work force of 48. It receives no county general fund money, but is financed by property tax inside millage, fees, revenue from contracts and federal and state grants.

Duplication of services is waste of limited resources, which is why governments at all levels are exploring options to reduce operating costs, and why the Kasich administration has set aside $45 million in a Local Government Innovation Fund to nudge communities along the road to cooperation.

To be sure, residents of the city of Youngstown and of the 45 subdivisions served by the county health department will wonder whether the services they’re now receiving will be affected.

We have no doubt that such concerns were voiced in Akron and Summit County, which is why the study they undertook and the think-tank analysis they commissioned can be valuable. The Center for Community Solutions in Cleveland worked with the city and county.

There’s no reason, other than provincial attitudes, consolidation can’t occur. All that’s needed is the willingness on the part of decision-makers to do the right thing.